Rusev has opened up about the confusing creative direction he received during his time working under Vince McMahon in WWE, revealing that he often got mixed messages about whether he should portray a villain or a hero. Both Rusev and his wife CJ Perry (Lana) reflected on those years and their interactions with McMahon, shedding light on how unclear things could get behind the scenes.

Speaking on the Identity Crisis podcast, Perry recalled a moment from 2019 when Rusev had slimmed down, and McMahon made his feelings known. “He goes, ‘I want my 300 pound Bulgarian Brute. That man puts asses in seats. That heel.’ He goes, ‘I want you as a heel, I want you 300 pounds, Bulgarian Brute, because that sells tickets.’”

Perry continued, explaining that McMahon was essentially telling Rusev to embrace his role as the ultimate bad guy. “You (Rusev) said, ‘Turn me heel, brother.’ You said, ‘I’m the best heel in the business, turn me heel.’ I’ll never forget this. Vince was like, ‘I have so many babyfaces, but I don’t have any 300-pound Bulgarian Brutes.’ What he was saying is that, in this world, Eastern Europeans and Russians are conditioned to be the bad guys, and I know you have studied all the greatest bad guys and villains in TV and movies, and you had really perfected that. And that was really in my opinion his back way of complimenting, saying you’re the best at being a villain.”

Rusev then revealed that McMahon had previously offered him conflicting directions, recalling a conversation from 2016 before an encounter with Goldberg. “He called me in the office before the Goldberg thing, saying, ‘Hey, do this favor for me and I’m gonna owe you one.’ And then he said, ‘What do you think about turning babyface?’ I’m like, ‘Vince, if you’re behind it, I’m behind it, because I know it’s gonna work.’ So he’s asked me to be a babyface before. But then he’s asked me to be a heel again after. That’s what I’m saying, there’s all these mixed messages with nothing in between.”

Rusev is now in his second run with WWE on the Raw brand, where he’s feuding with Men’s Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. Vince McMahon stepped down from TKO Group Holdings in January 2024 amid a federal investigation and lawsuit alleging sexual assault and trafficking, claims which he has denied.